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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Valerie Parv: Boldly writing what you haven’t written before

For me, the joy of writing is in trying to do something different with every new book. In Birthright, I combine the appeal of romance with the wonder of science fiction which has fascinated me since my teens. I grew up with Star Trek, never thinking that I would count its creator, Gene Roddenberry, as a mentor. Or that I’d meet Neil Armstrong not long after the moon landing. It’s hardly surprising that my passions have finally come together.
The setting is my island kingdom of Carramer where I’ve previously set a dozen romances. This time it’s Atai province, home to Carramer’s first people whose mystical culture I’ve long wanted to explore. Atai is hosting the launch of a private space shuttle which may have a terrifying secret agenda. My heroine, indigenous acting governor, Shana Akers, has to learn to trust launch director and resident genius, Adam Desai, as well as two mysterious VIPs whose talents defy all logic. I came to love these characters so much that I’m writing a follow-on novel, Earthbound, with a final chapter, Homeworld, planned.
Whether it’s Doctor Who, James Bond or Adam Desai, when characters come to life in your mind, magic happens. As a writer, I love watching them overcome the challenges I set. As a reader I’m hoping the writer is kind to my virtual heroes. How do you feel about your favorites? Do you ‘peek’ to ensure they make it to the end of the book? Love to know your thoughts. Leave a comment for a chance to win an authorgraphed kindle copy of Birthright !Valerie Parv

International best-selling author, Valerie Parv, has sold more than twenty-nine million copies of her books which have been widely translated, including into manga, and are now available as ebooks. Valerie is the first Australian writer to receive a Pioneer Award from RT Book Reviews, New York, for her contributions to the field of romance writing. She also proudly serves as an Australia Day Ambassador. Living not far from Australia's capital city, Canberra, she loves nothing better than stretching her writing wings. Valerie has written over 50 novels, 24 non-fiction titles, dozens of short stories in major magazines, and has a movie script currently in pre-production. Not known for her sporting prowess, she finds it extraordinary being featured in the sports pages of her local newspaper when her team wins at indoor bowls. Birthright is published by Corvallis Press, USA, 2012.
WEB http://www.valerieparv.com/birthright.htmlTWITTER@valerieparv FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/valerie.parvBLOG www.valerieparv.wordpress.com***Valerie's winner is Eli Yanti! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address!***

Good morning (well it is in Oz), Glad you loved Birthright, Tash, and that you sometimes peek. It means the author has made you care about the character. Lil, you're stronger than me LOL *Gives Vulcan salute to Scarlet* We won't mention the Starfleet medical uniform hidden in my closet. The last Carramer book was a Harlequin Intimate Moments called Operation Monarch when a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks just *might* be the rightful king.

I sometimes peek when reading thrillers, just to make sure the main characters survive. I'd hate to invest too much in falling in love with a character, only to have them killed off. :) I have Birthright on my Kindle, just waiting until I have time to read.

Sometimes I peek. There is no criteria...I peek if the book has me thrilled to be reading it, I can't stand to wait to the end, or it has me so bored, I check out the end to see if it's worth continuing on to read. Mostly, I try very hard not to peek with the books I'm enjoying.

Tori, me too. I peek if I'm worried a character I love might not make it. The suspense messes with my reading. Laura, I've never skipped to the end out of boredom. Those books end up unfinished, period. Lucky not so many.

I don't think I've ever peeked. Ever. To me it always seemed like it would spoil things if I knew how the book ended. I'm like you, Valerie -- if the book's boring I just don't finish it (and I don't have many of those, either!).

Thanks for a fun post! Ok... I have "peeked", not very often, but that's when the tension is so high and it doesn't look good for our main couple. I have to peek to reassure myself that things do get better and they get their HEA.